Chronic Pain Self-Management Program is an educational, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a small group program that helps patients better understand the chronic pain process and teaches non-medicated coping strategies.

Change your pain with food and nutrition.

Clinical studies and medical practice have increasingly focused on the role of body inflammation as a precursor and maintainer of chronic conditions.  As there are dietary factors that impact inflammation, it is important to know how food and nutrition patterns can reduce inflammation. There have been ways of eating that cultures around the world have shown to be healthy by a lower incidence of lifestyle diseases and longer life spans.

1:1 virtual consultation service is available to assist patients optimize their nutritional health to improve pain management. This is offered on a fee-for-service basis and reimbursable by many health plans. 

Please note appointments are booked in Mountain Standard Time which is a two-hour time difference for Ontario.

All appointments are virtual.
Click here to book your initial assessment.  

An epidural steroid injection (ESI) is the delivery of powerful anti-inflammatory medicine directly into the space outside of the sac of fluid around your spinal cord. This area is called the epidural space.

Fluoroscopy is a type of medical imaging that shows a continuous X-ray image on a monitor, much like an X-ray movie. During a fluoroscopy procedure, an X-ray beam is passed through the body

Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) is a dry needling technique that is a special form of acupuncture used in the treatment of myofascial and neuropathic pain.

i.v. lidocaine demonstrates significant analgesic, anti-hyperalgesic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It also reduces sensitivity and activity of spinal cord neurones (central sensitization) and decreases N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor-mediated post-synaptic depolarization.This infusion helps to treat many conditions including Fibromyalgia, Chronic regional pain syndrome, neuropathic pain, chronic diabetic neuropathy and vascular headaches

Often a group of nerves, called a plexus or ganglion, that causes pain to a specific organ or body region can be blocked with the injection of medication into a specific area of the body. The injection of this nerve-numbing substance is called a nerve block.

Opioid analgesics are typically prescribed for severe cases of acute pain, and for instances of chronic pain. Muscle relaxants are prescribed to reduce spasms and cramping of the muscles.

Prolotherapy is a procedure where a natural irritant is injected into the soft tissue of an injured joint. The irritant kick-starts the body’s healing response. Prolotherapy is not a surgical treatment. Because of this, it is also known as a regenerative joint injection or non-surgical ligament and tendon reconstruction. It is believed to assist the body’s potential to heal and repair to restore or establish typical structure and function, which is why it is called a regenerative treatment approach.

Prolotherapy is mainly used to treat injured joints, ligaments, and pain. While it is most used for the back, doctors may also use prolotherapy in the following areas of the body:

• Knees
• Hips
• Shoulders
• Other joints and ligaments

In some cases, people with chronic conditions, such as degenerative disc disease or arthritis, may wish to use prolotherapy to help ease their pain.

How does it work?
Prolotherapy is an injection that uses dextrose (a simple sugar) solution as an irritant. This is thought to trigger the body’s healing response. Once activated, the body will strengthen and repair damaged ligaments/tendons/cartilage and other soft tissue in and around the joint. Over time, it helps to stabilize the joint. The pain can improve once the joint is better supported, and better function is restored.

What to Expect
Your doctor will examine you and mark the spot that requires injections. Next, the doctor prepares your skin with a sterilizing solution. Once prepared, the doctor will use a needle to inject the dextrose solution into several points around the target area in the back or joint. The number of injections used depends on the site or joint affected. A patient experiences the pinprick from the needle and, usually, a bit of a pressure sensation as the sugar water solution is injected. They may also feel an occasional twinge or momentary sharp pain.

Prolotherapy usually requires several injections at the injury or weakened area. Clinical literature indicates that 3-6 treatments give the best result. After that, there may be a need for periodic maintenance treatments. An individual can expect multiple injections per session and several sessions over 3 to 6 months.

Benefits
Medical professionals supporting the use of prolotherapy believe that strengthened joints will mean the pain is reduced. Also, the improved strength of the joint will help with stability and improve overall movement and function of the back and joints. Prolotherapy is an all-natural, permanent treatment, as it relies on the body repairing itself to reduce pain and improve function… genuinely regenerative.

In contrast, pain relievers, anti-inflammatory medications, cortisone injections or joint lubricants (i.e., hyaluronic acid) only provide temporary relief. Similarly, surgical options do not always work to stabilize a joint fully.

Post Injection
A patient may experience post-injection soreness and stiffness for 3-7 days. They are suggested to do more light exercise for 1-2 weeks and no excessive motion or force to the injection area with a 2–6-weeks transition into exercise/activity guided by exam and functional status. Over six weeks, a shift to complete activities is possible.

Anti-inflammatories (Advil, Aleve, Naprosyn, aspirin etc.), Tylenol and corticosteroids should be avoided for a week or corticosteroids as they impair natural body healing. Using heat (hot bath, heating pad etc.) is helpful in increasing circulation, which helps recovery.

Risks and side effects
There have been few reported side effects from prolotherapy. In rare cases, the worst side effect is an infection at the injection site. A potential infection will show through fever and pain, and it is usually easy to treat with antibiotics. Please review the consent form for more information. Another side effect may be temporary swelling or pain where the injection occurred. Immediately following the procedure, the affected joint may feel worse before beginning to feel better.

A Trigeminal Nerve block involves the injection of local anesthetic medication and sometimes steroids into the area surrounding the Trigeminal nerve. This blocks the pain messages thereby reducing the amount of pain felt.

TPI is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. Many times, such knots can be felt under the skin. Trigger points may irritate the nerves around them and cause referred pain, or pain that is felt in another part of the body.

Viscosupplementation is a procedure in which a thick fluid called hyaluronate is injected into the knee joint.it is thought that hyaluronate will improve the lubricating properties of the synovial fluid, reduce the pain from osteoarthritis of the knee, improve mobility, and provide a higher and more comfortable level of activity.